It is almost impossible for travellers to finish a journey from Kampala to upcountry without at least buying roadside roasted meat that is sold on major highways.
The two most renowned places to enjoy such delicious meat are Lukaya on Kampala-Masaka Highway and Namawojolo in Mukono.
However, while most of the travelers buy this roasted meat thinking it is some delicious game meat, they are actually being fed on baboon meat. The revelation was made Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA which has warned that baboon meat is also commonly disguised as game meat.
According to UWA Executive Director Andrew Seguya, traders in highway markets and bus stops, especially those neighboring game reserves, are selling baboon meat and dead wildlife and recent investigations have shown that baboons and calves are being sold as game meat.
Seguya indicates that because game meat is expensive and prestigious, so the traders have found a way of making baboon meat look like game meat by covering it with cow blood before they roast it. According to Seguya the baboons are dangerous for human life.
He states that UWA is now putting together resources to ensure that a fully-fledged forensic department is established.
He states that with this, meat can be examined in raw, roast of cooked state adding that this would save Ugandans the risk of acquiring diseases that can be transferred from baboons to humans.
Dr Okidi Ochora, a Veterinary Doctor explains that although medically there is no proven danger resulting from eating baboon meat, it is psychologically tormenting to learn that you ate baboon instead of beef, goat or game meat.
